If you have ever purchased a new home, you are rarely 100% satisfied when you move in. You may want to add some new furniture, paint a few walls, update the flooring or even do a complete remodel. When implementing a new Electronic Health Record (EHR), many times the need to “get the system live” as soon as possible, results in a rushed implementation of basic functionality and “out of the box” workflows.

There is not always time to look at current issues and identify ways to improve processes. Many times the current problems are merely transferred into the new system. Even if you love everything about your new EHR, Optimization of the system will always be necessary due to factors such as advances in medical treatment, compliance & regulatory changes, adding of new specialties and more.

Whether it is your existing EHR or a new system, for optimization to be effective, experts with clinical, operational and technical experience will need to look at how the system is working. You may have such experts employed, or you may need to bring in consultants. Either way, these experts will assess how users are interacting with the EHR and if they are having functionality and/or workflow issues. Sometimes, problems can be addressed by merely providing additional training, especially if new features and functionality have been deployed.

By taking a thorough look at the system and its users, experts can determine what improvements need to be made.

Below are three areas to take into consideration:

Governance: A strong governance structure is critical to having a successful optimization plan. Requests for changes to the EHR must be prioritized and evaluated. An agile governance group made up of the right members, should meet monthly to review all requests and prioritize according to the overall needs of the organization.

Training: A comprehensive training program is a critical factor that impacts the usability of the EHR. Many times organizations provide new employee training but do not offer any “ongoing” or “refresher” training. Supplemental training can increase basic and advanced knowledge of the system and improve efficiency. As system upgrades and new functionality are implemented, users should have an option to attend classroom training. eLearning can be helpful, but there is no substitute for hands-on classroom training where the user can ask questions and get answers.

Communication: Organizations should have effective and comprehensive communications regarding training, new functionality, and any other changes to the EHR. The creation of a formal enterprise-wide communication plan using a variety of forums and a broad spectrum of communications resources is essential. Being proactive versus reactive such as having the EHR topic as a standing agenda item at a section and other scheduled MD meetings can be very useful.

As manager of the front office of a small healthcare practice, it’s your responsibility to do your research. Since 2009, when the HITECH Act mandated the adoption of EHR and supporting technology, administrators have been tasked with finding the best EHR solution for their practice. It’s important to note that if you have formed preconceived opinions about EHR features and functionality, you may end up with a platform that doesn’t actually meet your needs as well as one could.

In an effort to avoid patient record errors and keep costs down, here are five common misconceptions about implementing an EHR, which will help your small practice remain as efficient as possible.

1. EHRs aren’t easy for an entire practice to adopt.

A common pushback of implementing an EHR solution is that it will be too complicated, time-consuming, and counterproductive for all of the practice staff to adopt a new technology and process.

The good news is, you’ve got options. There are flexible EHR platforms that will actually make your job a lot easier, fast. Furthermore, specialty specific EHRs will automatically adapt to your practice specialty and ensure an accurate workflow.

2. An EHR solution will be myopic.

While people may think that whichever EHR you choose will serve one function, comprehensiveness is actually a major benefit that you can take advantage of.

Comprehensive EHR platforms will enable you to perform a number of activities — like scheduling, charting, and E-prescribing — from one central location. Not only will this allow you to fulfill all of your practice’s needs from a single place, but it’ll help you avoid using disparate systems and keep costs down.

3. Your process will not improve.

If you think that implementing an EHR platform will decrease the efficiency of your workflow and your practice’s profitability, think again. Using a comprehensive, closed-loop system will actually enhance communication and transparency among your staff, boost productivity, minimize risk for error, and ultimately ensure better patient outcomes. The right EHR solution will simplify and streamline your process.

4. You will see no ROI.

If you’re hesitant to adopt an EHR because you don’t think you’ll see a return, know that this route can actually save you significant time and money. Improving your workflow efficiency with an adaptable EHR will allow you to optimize your resources and run a much more productive practice.

Remember that a cost-efficient EHR is an option. Also, some platforms even include practice management, which can help enhance transparency in your practice and measure ROI instantly.

5. EHR implementation will take away from the patient experience.

Your patients require your utmost attention — and an EHR can help you ensure your patient relationships are strong. Flexible, cloud-based, specialty-specific EHRs will help you uphold the level of personalization and comprehensiveness that your patients expect, and also minimize errors and improve patient satisfaction.

Understanding that an EHR solution with these capabilities is step one; opening the door to a brand new solution is step two. If you’re ready and willing to see how an EHR platform can benefit your practice, start your free trial of Practice EHR by clicking below!

In theory, EHR systems can alleviate informational errors, increase efficiency and allow doctors to spend more time with patients. The reality, however, is that many EHR solutions can talk the talk, but they can hardly walk the walk.

Why is this?

Some EHR companies in the marketplace have produced software without doing their due diligence to completely understand what a doctor’s real day looks and feels like -- they’ve produced generic platforms that don’t address doctors’ real concerns.

Any EHR System Must:

Be Scalable

Integrate Seamlessly with Other Software

Have a Simple User Experience

Priced Fairly for the Practice

The third bullet, ‘Have a Simple User Experience,’ is the benefit we’re going to be discussing today because it’s often taken for granted.

A Simple User Experience

Inputting data into a computer is easy, but the problem arises when EHR solutions can’t correctly identify a doctor’s workflow. Doctors have hundreds of patients, and since no two are alike, thousands of records of unique data are created. This data demands distinct form fields to capture a patient’s specific information. EHR systems must be prepared to capture, organize and file this data away so that a doctor can easily recall it when needed. And when it is recalled, this information must be easily understood by the doctor who may have forgotten exactly how he inputted it.

The solution is intuitive form fields and workflows.

EHR systems should allow for any doctor or office manager to easily understand where to input the right data into the right field. This may sound simple, but most EHR systems just do not comprehend the gravity of proper user experience.

When form fields are misunderstood and unobvious, data finds itself into the wrong reports. In the healthcare industry, this is alarming. Not only does this open up practices and doctors to lawsuits, but before you know it, the EHR system that was supposed to save your practice time and money is now doing the exact opposite.

The Power of Practice EHRNext-generation, cloud-based software can and will improve a doctor’s day, but not every EHR system is created equal. The Practice EHR team was frustrated by the poor quality of the very EHR systems that were supposed to be improving doctors’ day-to-day lives. So we went and built a better one.

Practice EHR is a solution built by doctors for doctors. It’s specialty-specific, meaning it comes out of the box purpose-built for your specialty practice. It’s also the perfect system for smaller practices of about 1-3 doctors and it was made to alleviate time and hassle in doctors’ busy schedules.

Cloud-based EHRs are becoming a key requirement for medical practices looking for a new electronic health record (EHR) system. According to a Black Book survey, nearly 85 percent of physicians shopping for a new EHR required mobile access from their new system.

Why have cloud-based EHRs become increasingly popular? Many small to medium size medical practices who’ve transitioned to this type of software are realizing the benefits. Let’s look at three reasons web-based EHR systems are a great solution for physician practices.

Benefits of a Cloud-Based EHR

Cloud-based EHRs offer cost-savings and scalability.

Unlike costly server-based systems, cloud-based EHRs are centrally hosted and do not require any hardware installation, maintenance or software licensing, making them much more affordable and easily scalable for practice growth.

Cloud-based EHRs are offered as software as a service (SaaS), meaning practices simply pay a monthly fee to use the software. Practices also don’t have the headache of worrying about updating the system, as updates are made automatically. Additionally, when a practice expands, new users, physicians or locations can easily be added.

Cloud-based EHRs result in better accessibility and patient care.

Cloud-based EHRs are a win-win scenario for physicians and patients. With cloud-based systems, physicians always have important information at their fingertips, allowing them to provide better, more efficient care to their patient. Imagine a scenario where a physician is out of office but needs to follow up on an emergent case. With a web-based system, the physician could still log in to the EHR remotely and access the patient record as well as integrated clinical decision support. Having access to that pertinent information, at the right time makes it possible for the physician to provide better patient care.

Cloud-based systems also provide an opportunity for better patient interaction and engagement. Most cloud-based EHRs are accessible via an iPad, laptop or mobile device, meaning physicians are no longer tied down to a computer screen. Cloud-based systems allow for better mobility and patient interaction. For example, a physician can easily go from exam room to exam room with a handheld iPad and even engage the patient by showing them certain diagrams, charts or health information.

Cloud-based EHRs improve communication.

Cloud-based EHRs provide greater flexibility than ever before. With cloud-based systems, small practices have secure access to their EHR whenever they want, from whatever device they want, as long as there’s internet access. The ability to access the system remotely, whenever necessary, allows for better communication and collaboration between physicians, staff, and patients. While patients won't have access to the EHR they do have 24/7 access to an online patient portal where they can send a secure message to the practice. Depending on the scenario, the practice can then log in to the EHR to follow up with the patient immediately or respond accordingly. The practice also has access to important patient information for scenarios that occur outside of office hours that will help them make more informed decisions for follow up procedures.

Cloud-based EHRs provide a lot of advantages for physician practices. Many who’ve already made the transition to a cloud-based EHR are experiencing the benefits.

Transitioning to an electronic health record (EHR) can be a daunting task for any healthcare organization, especially for small practices. However, going electronic can also have numerous advantages.

Situation

Coop City Chiro, a five-physician chiropractic facility in Bronx, NY, manages 3,000 patient visits per month. With a growing patient load on top of the maintenance associated with existing medical records, Coop City Chiro needed a better way to manage their practice on the back end without disrupting patient care. In order to find the right EHR for them, Coop City Chiro started their search with the following needs in mind:

Find an EHR that organizes and optimizes patient documentation.

Implement an EHR without causing distractions or unnecessary obstacles for their patients and staff.

Train staff and doctors on an EHR without disrupting their busy schedules.

Adopt an EHR that fits their practice’s budget and capacity.

The chiropractic facility chose to implement Practice EHR, an EHR system priced for small practices and built specifically for each specialty.

Results

Live within minutes. Coop City Chiro implemented Practice EHR within minutes and without any disruption to patients or staff because the EHR is so easy-to-use.

Improved efficiency of documentation and billing. Coop City Chiro noticed an immediate improvement in practice management and overall efficiency because they could easily log patient care and bill for all their patients in one single platform.

If your practice hasn’t implemented a patient portal, chances are you and your patients are missing out on some convenient features. Patient portals are a necessity for medical practices today, benefiting both the patient and practice overall.

Patient portals can be a primary tool for engaging patients and improving inefficiencies in office workflow, reducing costs and meeting meaningful use requirements. Medical practices who’ve implemented portals are using them effectively to cut down on phone calls and time-consuming scheduling; communicate with patients more efficiently; share patient education/information and cut down on costs while also driving revenue.

Let's take a deeper look at why medical practices should be using patient portals in their practice today:

Patient Engagement

Portals empower patients to take more of an active role in their healthcare and promotes a more patient-centered relationship, resulting in better outcomes, patient satisfaction, and engagement. As a place for patients to conveniently access and provide health information, schedule appointments, see test results, request medication refills, send secure messages and pay for care, patient portals are a key driver in patients feeling more engaged in their healthcare. Portals, in general, create a more engaging environment for your patients while also fostering better relationships.

Office Workflow

Imagine the time saved for your staff when a patient uses the patient portal to schedule an appointment or send a secure message to ask a question, as opposed to calling in over the phone. Tasks being completed online by the patient presents significant time savings for a medical practice. According to Medscape, patient portals enable medical practices to work more efficiently and use resources more effectively, simultaneously improving office workflow. A good patient portal will be user-friendly for your patients and your staff, allowing them both to conveniently and efficiently complete tasks.

Costs

From a cost perspective, portals allow your staff to work more efficiently and decrease overhead costs. For example, by sending lab results or patient statements electronically via the portal, practices can cut down on paper, envelopes, and postage. In some cases, practices can also improve the collection of payments by sending electronic statements that can be paid online. Recent studies have shown that patient portals can also improve revenue during slow periods and reduce patient no shows.

Benefits of Patient Portals

Communicate securely, efficiently with patients

Easily share patient education material

Send automated reminders, alerts, and other important information

Improve payment collections by sending statements electronically

Facilitate Meaningful Use compliance

Efficient scheduling and prescriptions refills

Cut down on costs, wasted resources and inefficiencies

Improve revenue and patient engagement

Patient portals get patients more involved in their care in a modern, convenient way, while also eliminating redundant work, wasted resources and inefficient and costly processes for your practice.

While the patient experience begins long before a patient steps into the examination room, it’s important to make a good impression the moment a patient steps through the doors of your medical practice. Starting off on the right foot during the check-in process can positively impact the patient experience and determine the pace of the patient visit.

There are many moving parts to an office visit that all demand attention. With the help of technology, patient check-in can be less of a burden for patients and staff. Here are a few EHR features your practice can use to improve patient check-in.

Patient Kiosk

One of the most popular features being used to improve patient check-in is kiosk. This technology is similar to what is used today at airports and fast-food chain restaurants. In a medical practice equipped with the Practice EHR kiosk, patients can check in on an iPad or tablet using interactive forms that guide them through the check-in process, collecting medical history info, patient information updates, signatures for consent forms and payment. Once the patient completes check-in, the information collected is automatically integrated into the EHR. Medical practices who implement a kiosk can reduce the resources required for check in at the front desk and improve efficiency.

Patient Portal

Medical practices looking for an alternative to the kiosk model can implement a patient portal. With a patient portal, patients provide information and complete forms online, prior to the visit, eliminating the need for paperwork when they arrive. Portals typically provide additional time-saving features, such as online scheduling, secure messaging and easy sharing of test results and medical information. Medical practices who’ve implemented portals are using them effectively to reduce costs and the amount of time it takes for a patient to check-in.

ID Scanner

An ID scanner will quickly become a favorite for your front desk staff. With this technology your practice can capture the front and back of patient cards and documents digitally in seconds, eliminating paper copies from the workflow. Medical practices who use ID scanners can significantly speed up the patient registration process. There are several ID scanners in the marketplace. However, Practice EHR is integrated with Ambir Technology, ensuring captured information gets populated automatically in the EHR.

As the healthcare industry shifts to a value-based and consumer-driven model, it’s important that medical practices review current processes and work to improve the patient experience

CareMed is a multi-location practice offering a unique blend of primary care and urgent care to the Suffolk County of New York. After an increasing patient demand for access to convenient healthcare, CareMed expanded into a second location and realized the EHR system they had in place could no longer support the needs of their growing practice. To achieve long-term success, CareMed knew they needed to consider a more modern and comprehensive EHR solution with features designed to support a busy practice with multiple locations.

Results

Decreased costs. Priced at only $149 per month, per provider, Practice EHR is one of the most affordable and cost-effective systems on the market. By switching to Practice EHR, CareMed decreased costs by 40 percent. For a growing practice like CareMed, this significant amount of savings was hugely beneficial to their practice.

Improved efficiency. CareMed quickly realized the benefits of Practice EHR’s simple workflow. With such an easy-to-use system, CareMed could easily onboard new staff members and train them on the EHR system in minutes. The simple workflow also helped CareMed save valuable time on daily tasks.

Improved operations. The Practice EHR reporting tool also became a fundamental feature, providing CareMed with a detailed view of their practice. The Practice EHR reporting tool gave CareMed essential clinical and financial insights about their practice that was instrumental in their growth and success.

Improved patient engagement. With the help of Practice EHR’s integrated patient portal, CareMed also experienced improved patient engagement. An increasing amount of patients were using the portal to make payments, schedule appointments and communicate with the practice. The patient portal became a favorite feature, resulting in benefits for both the patient and the practice.

About Practice EHR

Practice EHR is a fully-integrated, cost-effective and easy-to-use electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM) solution exclusively designed to support small practices and drive a healthy practice. With no startup costs and free data migration, training, and support, Practice EHR is perfect for startup practices and growing medical practices.

Slightly more physicians said that electronic health record (EHR) systems have decreased quality of care (44 percent) in their primary workplace than increased it (40 percent), according to a recent poll from Medscape.

The survey included 273 respondents—207 physicians and 66 nurses/APRN (advanced practice registered nurses)—and did find that nurses and APRNs, unlike their physician colleagues, saw more benefit than detriment in EHRs. Forty-two percent said they had increased quality of care versus 35 percent who said they had decreased care quality.

When asked what aspects of EHRs increased quality of care, the top answer among physicians was the ability to locate and review patient information more easily (59 percent), followed by the ability to electronically subscribe (49 percent), and portability/access to patient records by all members of the care team (44 percent). The same three aspects were ranked by nurses/APRNs as the top reasons EHRs have increased care quality, just in different order.

And when physicians and nurses/APRNs were asked what aspects of EHRs decrease quality of care, they gave similar weight to these four reasons: added paperwork/charting; entering data during the patient encounter; lack of interoperability with other systems; and system failures or problems.

When asked how they would like to improve these systems, physicians' top answer was to make the systems more intuitive/user-friendly (44 percent), followed by allowing greater interoperability and record sharing (30 percent). Nurses/APRNs said they would most like to see more interoperability and better record sharing (33 percent), followed by making the systems more user-friendly (30 percent).

The poll also revealed that few physicians or nurses were involved in the decision of which EHR to use in their primary workplace. Among physicians, 66 percent had no input, 28 percent had input, and 7 percent did not use an EHR system. Far fewer nurses were part of the decision making: 80 percent had no input, 18 percent had input, and 2 percent did not use an EHR.

There has been no shortage of studies over the years that have measured physician satisfaction with EHRs and how they impact the quality of care. Most have generated mixed results. For instance, Stanford Medicine’s 2018 National Physician Poll found that about two-thirds of the more than 500 primary care physicians surveyed think EHRs have generally led to improved care (63 percent) and are at least somewhat satisfied with their current EHR systems (66 percent). These same survey respondents did also continue to report problems with these systems, however, and many (59 percent) said that EHRs need a “complete overhaul.”

Selecting the best electronic health record (EHR) for your medical practice can be an overwhelming process. With so many healthcare technologies on the market today, how can you confidently choose the right solution for your practice?

Similar to many other advisors, we believe the product demonstration (demo) is a critical tool in the selection process. In order to make an informed decision and find the right EHR for your medical practice, it’s helpful to see and experience the software first hand.

An EHR demo is a helpful evaluation tool. There’s lots to cover—and uncover—so come prepared with questions. Here’s four tips for making the most of your next demo:

Have a good understanding of how the EHR aligns with your practice’s needs.

Before the demo, establish a list of your must-have features and requirements and evaluate how the EHR matches up. In general, a good EHR should provide features that support better practice operations and simplify daily tasks. Is it user friendly? Is it designed for your specialty? Does it include features that will help your practice operate more efficiently? Ask specific questions about how features work and how they’ll make your work life easier; uncover whether or not the EHR is designed to support you day-to-day and for the long term while also helping you achieve government requirements.

Know pricing and exactly what’s included.

There’s a variety of price points and pricing structures for EHRs. Most likely you will find general pricing information on the company website, but the demo is a good time to confirm any additional costs. Not all vendors are transparent about fees, so it’s important to get specific about what’s included in the price and what’s not. Upcharges vary from vendor to vendor but are commonly related to specific feature functionality, set up, data migration, implementation, training, support or system maintenance.

Understand the process for implementation, training and support.

Understanding processes for implementation, training and support and setting expectations early, prepare you for a smooth transition. In addition to knowing if the vendor charges for startup costs and support, ask the vendor the standard length of time for implementation and training and what means of support are available. Practices looking to implement quickly should consider cloud-based EHRs systems that eliminate having to invest in hardware and complete cumbersome training.

Confirm the EHR is certified.

To receive incentive payments under the ongoing EHR adoption program, eligible providers are required to use certified EHR technology. Ask vendors about their certification and how the software supports meeting government-sponsored program requirements. Most EHRs will have certification information available on their website (like we have done here) or you can also visit the ONC website for the Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL).

EHRs are necessary for better practice management, care delivery and patient outcomes, but not all EHRs are created equal. Asking the right questions during a demo will help you make informed decisions and find an EHR that’s right for your medical practice.

It takes time, dedication and the right technology to run a successful medical practice in today’s healthcare industry. Implementing an electronic health record (EHR) has become essential in order for medical practices to grow their practice and provide a better care experience for their patients.

EHRs are given a bad reputation, but not all EHRs are created equal. With the right platform, medical practices can offer better, more efficient, patient-centered care and run a successful practice.

It takes time to research and compare what each platform brings to the table. However, there are ways to narrow down your selection to ensure you find one that is the right fit. Here are a few things to consider when selecting the right EHR for your practice.

Cost

There’s a variety of price points for EHRs that vary based on what features you choose to include, the vendor you select, and how many providers are in your practice. Not all vendors are transparent about fees, so it’s important to get specific about what’s included in the price and what’s an additional cost. It’s ok if you don’t have a huge budget, there are EHRs on the market that provide a comprehensive platform for an affordable price.

Meaningful Use Certification

Ensure that your EHR is Meaningful Use (MU) 2015 edition certified so that you can qualify to participate in the MU Incentive program. Ask vendors about their certification and how the software supports your practice in meeting program requirements. You can also check certification status here.

Cloud-Based Accessibility

Your EHR should be cloud-based and provide access to an iPad friendly application. Unlike server-based systems, cloud-based EHRs do not require any hardware installation, maintenance, software licensing or IT staff, making them much more affordable and easily scalable for practice growth.

Workflow

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of an EHR is workflow; a good workflow is key to practice efficiency. Look for an EHR with a simple workflow that your entire staff finds easy to use and clinical content created specifically for your specialty.

Patient Engagement Tools

An EHR should provide you tools to help you easily engage and interact with patients to improve the patient experience. A good EHR will include tools like a user-friendly patient portal and a kiosk, where patients can check in and fill out forms from an iPad.

Automation

A platform with built in automation will help your practice save time on tasks, such as appointment reminders, medication refills, and more. For instance, with voice recognition physicians can complete notes by voice. In addition, your front desk staff will love automated eligibility verification, which pulls a patient’s insurance status 24 hours before an appointment.

Selecting an electronic health record (EHR) platform is an important decision for your practice that can impact patient care, practice operations and practice financials. Practices should take the time to review the software in detail to find one that’s the right fit. Cost, meaningful use, mobile accessibility, workflow, patient engagement and automation are all important factors to consider. In addition, make sure to evaluate the EHR based on factors that are specifically important to your practice. By taking these steps, you’ll be sure to find an EHR that meets (or hopefully exceeds) your expectations.

Machine learning is a promising domain that has positively impacted many industries and now healthcare is witnessing its powerful emergence. The progress of Artificial Intelligence-based technology, along with other advances in EHRs is bringing a new wave of interest in how this latest technology is going to change the shape of health and healthcare. EHR platforms are at the forefront of using artificial intelligence within the healthcare arena. This is because of the widespread use of EHR software and the capability of EHR software to categorically store real-time patient data. These data sets can be used by artificial intelligence to make predictions and suggestions for the future.

This fast-growing digitalization has created major opportunities for the use of artificial intelligence. Industry experts and innovators see the potential and continue to gradually improve AI-based features within updated EHR systems. The widespread use of this digital health data advances health outcomes and there is no doubt it will eventually reshape the healthcare industry. Let’s have a look at some more unique benefits.

Benefits of Using AI Technology in EHR Software

Better Diagnosis & Treatment

Newly developed AI diagnostic systems can help providers diagnose and treat different diseases. This advanced system uses the historical data and patient symptoms to predict future illness. EHRs are more intelligent now and can suggest the high paying CPT codes for the identified disease so providers can maximize their earning potential as well. In the future, this AI-based diagnostics system could possibly even lead to self-diagnosis tools and treatment facilities for common diseases.

Reduces Human Error

talkEHR is a good example of a self-learning electronic health record system that comes with an integrated medical voice assistant named “Allison”. This intelligent voice assistant lets you talk with your EHR, and performs the requested functions you tell her to. This saves charting time and reduces human errors. Also, the longer you use the system, the more this self-learning software is able to provide you with an improved, personalized experience.

Cost-Efficient

Artificial intelligence based EHR software automate the normal workflow of medical practices and, to some extent, eliminate the need for additional support staff. Auto reminder calls, appointment scheduling, and other task automations are improving the workflow of medical practices, as well as reducing overhead expenses.

Better Medical Imaging Analysis

Artificial intelligence-assisted medical imaging analysis is much better than a manual one. It analyzes and compares the cell structures and also tissue segmentation to identify disease and suggest treatment.

Improves Productivity

AI-based EHRs improve the productivity of medical practices as they significantly reduce the administrative complexity, clinical waste, malpractice likelihood, and help to save the staff time they would otherwise spend on repetitive tasks.

Healthcare facilities are making necessary investments in AI-based EHR development, and over time, the AI algorithms will continue to improve and fully transform the healthcare industry. How closely will this transformation resemble the vision of medical futurists? We look forward to seeing how it takes shape. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment box below!

Healthcare has shifted certain operations to be cloud-based so that patients can be provided with both the best and most convenient delivery of healthcare services. One prominent advancement is the advent of cloud-based EHRs (Electronic Health Records). With cloud-based Electronic Health Records, practices have boosted their operational efficiency while patients have increased confidence about the accuracy and safety of their clinical information. These records offer a wide array of features that facilitate the handling of clinical data and ease the lengthy and cumbersome documentation process, which improves the patient management process. The following six points summarize the advantages of cloud-based EHRs:

Cloud-Based EHR Software Advantages

Enhanced Accuracy and Accessibility of Data

Cloud-based EHRs have the primary objective of making patient medical data available to the patient and providers 24-7. These records can be accessed on-the-go by way of any smart device. And, all of the information contained in these records is accurate, complete, and all-encompassing, which enables providers to determine the most appropriate diagnosis for future ailments and prescribe effective medication with a reduced chance of error.

Networking Opportunities

Cloud-based EHRs have features that allow patients and providers to have a constant and uninterrupted stream of contact between them. Providers can view their scheduled appointments in there and they will also be updated about the date and time of upcoming appointments. If providers want more information about the patient, it can be obtained by simply clicking over the patient’s name. Additionally, patients can be reminded automatically by phone or email about their appointments with their doctors as well. With cloud-based EHRs software, as a provider, you can stay connected to all the pharmacies, labs, and clinics your practice might be affiliated with, thereby enhancing your network, too.

Cost-Efficient Data Management

Cloud-based EHRs make thorough and accurate documentation possible. You get to avoid stacks of papers yet have the ability to create useful formal reports out of the data stored in the EHR. You will also notice a reduction in the number of redundant or duplicate tests once you adopt these cloud-based EHRs. They have all the ICD and CPT codes integrated to help the providers reach the most suitable diagnosis and treatment in the quickest amount of time possible. These codes make the insurance claims more specific and clear, hence easing the billing process. And, with comprehensive and carefully filed insurance claims, you’ll lessen the chances of denial or rejection. With that, cloud-based EHRs considerably reduce the associated costs of data management.

Increased Efficiency and Productivity

Prior to the introduction of cloud-based EHRs, providers worldwide spent a lot of time sifting through documents and finding relevant data for delivering quality patient care. There used to be room for unexpected errors which negatively impacted the quality of medical services and also caused delays. Cloud-based EHRs have helped to increase efficiency, and make it easier for providers to achieve maximum productivity throughout the workday.

Information Security

Cloud-based EHRs software store data on external servers which makes it accessible by way of any internet-enabled device. The software as a service (SAAS) provider maintains the system so the provider does not have to worry about the installation cost or ongoing maintenance hassles. Patient’s data security on cloud-based EHRs is a shared responsibility of both the SAAS provider and the physician. All the patient information in cloud-based EHRs is considered electronic protected health information (ePHI) and it is fully covered under strict regulations of the HIPAA act. Cloud-based EHRs heavily safeguard this sensitive information while ensuring easy access for authorized persons.

Participation in Quality Programs

Most of the cloud-based EHRs nowadays are put together with strict adherence to quality standards. These and other features make cloud-based EHRs part of the Meaningful Use Program and other quality programs ensuring that patients and providers get the optimum healthcare experience. These programs enable the electronic prompts that make sure all the required information is entered into the EHR, and when required. These records can also help the data analysts figure out the population-related trends from the dataset and improve the healthcare policies, especially for different social segments.

In response to the nation’s climbing prescription drug abuse problem, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) finalized a rule in 2010, permitting electronic prescriptions for controlled substances (EPCS). Today, e-prescribing is legal in all 50 states, and becoming increasingly popular. According to SureScripts’ 2015 National Report, the number of e-prescriptions have doubled since 2012.

So why is EPCS becoming more and more of a standard practice? EPCS is a step in the right direction to fighting fraud and abuse of controlled substances and provides numerous benefits for physicians and their patients, outlined below.

Benefits of EPCS for Small Practices

Makes prescribing more efficient and secure - With EPCS, physicians can send prescriptions for patients directly to the pharmacy from within the EHR at the point of care, instead of having to handwrite a prescription that could potentially get lost or stolen or prompt a phone call from a pharmacist needing further clarification.

Reduces medication errors, fraud and abuse - By eliminating the need for paper prescription pads, EPCS ensures prescriptions are getting into the right hands. EPCS has also been proven to improve prescription accuracy by preventing drug to allergy interactions, incorrect dosing, illegible prescriptions, etc. With EPCS, long gone are the days pharmacies receive scripts they can’t read.

Added convenience and safety, for physicians and patients - With EPCS, physicians can confidently and seamlessly e-prescribe controlled substances to their patient’s pharmacy. EPCS ensures the prescription reaches the pharmacy and the patient can easily pick up their medication, also improving patient medication adherence.

EPCS has proven to be beneficial for physicians and although legal, EPCS has not been mandated nationwide with the exception of four states. The following have passed legislation, mandating electronic prescriptions for controlled substances:

Virginia

New York

Minnesota

Maine

Interested in EPCS?

Many small practices realize the benefits of EPCS and want to partake, even if not required by their state. To begin e-prescribing for controlled substances there are a few initial steps: (1) use an EPCS certified application (EPCS certified means the application has completed testing and certification through a third party auditor, required by the DEA) and (2) complete the provider authentication process.

There’s a lot of work that goes into running a medical practice. From scheduling to phone calls to seeing patients, there’s most likely not a lot of downtimes. In order for medical practices to operate smoothly, it truly takes a team effort and the right technology.

There are many ways to streamline operations and improve productivity by using automation. And it doesn’t have to be costly or complicated. With the help of an electronic health record (EHR) practices can automate some of the daily processes that slow them down.

Here are four ways practices are automating their practice with Practice EHR:

Appointment Reminders - Appointment reminders eliminate the inefficiencies that come with calling every patient to remind them about their appointment. Most likely, you don’t get them on the first ring anyway and are leaving a voicemail. With appointment reminders, you can improve this whole process and remind patients about their appointment with an automated, customized message.

Eligibility Checks - Automated eligibility verification improves productivity for your front desk staff, while saving your practice time and money. Automated eligibility allows you to verify patient coverage more efficiently, without having to call to verify by phone. Instead, the system will automatically pull a patient’s insurance status 24 hours before a scheduled appointment, freeing up your phone lines and your staff.

Patient Portals - Patient portals are great for your patients and great for your practice, and they are gaining popularity. Patient portals improve productivity for the entire team by automating tasks like scheduling, check-in paperwork and sharing of health records and patient results. This gives your staff the ability to make better use of their time and dedicate resources to other activities that need more attention. Portals give patients more ownership and at the same time reduce the workload of the practice by eliminating a lot of unnecessary phone calls and time spent on activities that can ultimately be handled more efficiently through the portal.

Claim Scrubbing - Claim scrubbing is a win-win for physicians and billers. Using an integrated clearinghouse, codes are automatically checked for errors and warnings, before it gets sent to be billed. With automated claim scrubbing, physicians code with more confidence and spend less time on the phone with their biller, while simultaneously reducing denials and ensuring quick payment.

From the front office staff to the physician, every team member is busy with daily responsibilities within a medical practice. There’s no need to sacrifice any more time, productivity and profitability than necessary. As you look for ways to improve productivity and efficiency in your practice, consider the benefits of an EHR that can provide automation.

If it hasn’t happened already, your practice will probably be adopting an EHR system soon, due to the mandated HITECH Act of 2009. While this may seem daunting and laborious now, we promise there are many benefits to integrating an EHR-PM system -- it will prove to be a great decision that will boost patient satisfaction and your practice’s overall efficiency and interoperability. Here are 5 ways it will do just that:

1. Automatic Appointment Reminders

Office managers have a lot to do, that’s obvious, so placing calls to confirm appointments sometimes falls by the wayside. This tends to result in missed appointments and scheduling errors. EHR systems are the solution to this problem: Practices are now able to send automatic phone calls and auto-messages to patients’ phones. Plus, EHR systems allow you to easily send a text to your patient, enabling you to connect with your patients where they are in 2016: on their cell phones.

2. One Screen to Rule Them All

Gone are the days when office managers and doctors were inundated with organizing and systematizing thousands of patients’ confidential records. Today, EHR systems allow for all of a patient’s historical medical records to be easily navigable from one screen. Worried about form field restrictions? No problem -- User-friendly EHRs offer progress notes and freehand fields throughout, so you will always have the most prudent information right at your fingertips.

3. Automatic Claim Management

If there’s one vexation we’ve heard from doctors over and over again, it’s the constant headaches and lost revenue associated with poor claim management. The reality is, insurance companies don’t always make it easy to settle their claims. An integrated EHR system will speed up this process by leveraging Revenue Cycle Management to automatically scrub claims clean, so there’s less chasing down records and insurance policies for doctors and staff.

4. Integrated Clearinghouses

Once these claims are scrubbed clean, 99% of them can then be submitted to clearinghouses. Some EHR software comes standard with a fully integrated clearinghouse, making the claims process easier and faster than it’s ever been. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 30% of claims are denied/ignored on the first submission to insurers and 60% of those are never resubmitted. An EHR system is a solution to this problem. The right one can increase your practice’s revenue, decrease time spent on resubmissions and save you countless headaches!

5. Patient Portal

The best EHR systems save office managers time by enabling patients to pay bills and securely communicate with their doctors from the comfort of their own homes, on the train or even from the waiting room. These cloud-based features will directly affect the patient-doctor relationship, resulting in more organized communication, higher retention rates, and happier patients! Thanks to this intuitive patient portal, patients will love the new accessibility of their doctors.

Of course, not every integrated EHR-PM system supports all of these features because not all EHR software is created equal. Practice EHR is perfectly priced and cost-efficient for practices of 1-3 doctors. It’s built by doctors for doctors, which makes it uniquely positioned to address all of the doctors and office manager’s day-to-day concerns.

Choosing the right electronic health record (EHR) for your medical practice is a big decision. There are so many software's on the market today and it can be difficult for medical practices to find one that’s the best fit for their practice.

In order to make the best decision, it’s important to ask the right questions and have an honest conversation with the vendor about their software. Where do you start? The following is a list of 20 questions medical practices should ask before making the switch. This list is a compilation of the most commonly asked questions we hear from our prospective customers.

Ask the following questions and add a few of your own based on the needs of your practice. Asking the right questions and digging deep will help you find not only an EHR vendor but a partner who’s also committed to helping your practice be successful.

Learn about the company.

1. How many other practices use your software that our similar to my practice size and specialty?

2. Aside from EHR/PM, what other products and services can you offer my practice?

3. How do you keep my data secure?

4. Who owns the data in the system?

5. What sets you apart from other vendors?

Get to know the software.

6. Do you have an integrated practice management system?

7. What clearinghouse do you use?

8. What types of devices can I use with your software?

9. Is your software cloud-based?

10. Is your system easy to use?

11. Is your software ONC 2015 Edition certified?

12. What reports are available in your EHR?

13. How will this software help improve patient flow and operations in my practice?

14. Are there any extra costs related to the software?

Ask questions about training, implementation, and support.

15. How long is the implementation process?

16. How is my data migrated into the EHR?

17. How does training work?

18. How responsive are your product development team and customer support team?

19. What are your support hours?

20. Are there costs related to set up, training, implementation or support?

As a solo podiatrist, Britt Larka, D.P.M struggled to find an electronic health record (EHR) system designed to meet the needs of her Houston-based practice. In an effort to find the right system for her practice, Dr. Larka implemented multiple EHR's, continually facing the same three challenges. With each new system, Dr. Larka experienced financial, workflow and operational challenges.

Financial - Implementation, training, etc., on top of system pricing, became a financial burden

Workflow - The EHR's were not made for a practice of her size and difficult to navigate

Unsure where to turn next, Dr. Larka received a recommendation from her long-time billing services provider, leading her to Practice EHR - an EHR with built-in specialty-specific content and a simple workflow designed for small practices.

Results

Seamless implementation. Implementing Practice EHR was a smooth process for Dr. Larka and her office staff. For all new clients, Practice EHR offers data migration, integration, training and customer support at no additional cost, easing the financial burden and the learning curve that small practices typically experience with an EHR implementation.

Improved efficiency of documentation. After implementing Practice EHR, Dr. Larka and her team quickly appreciated the system’s easy-to-use and intuitive workflow. Practice EHR's ease of use enabled her team to work more efficiently. In addition, with built-in podiatry templates and clinical content, Dr. Larka could easily log patient care, allowing her to spend more face time with patients.

Improved efficiency of billing. Dr. Larka’s staff improved practice management and efficiency with the help of Practice EHR’s electronic claim submission feature. With Practice, EHR encounters get sent electronically to billing providers from within our system, increasing efficiency for the staff and helping physicians get paid faster.

About Practice EHR

Practice EHR is a cloud-based and specialty-specific electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM) solution designed exclusively for small practices. We realize that a one-size-fits-all EHR isn’t right for all care settings, that’s why we designed Practice EHR to meet the needs of small practices and their specialty. Simplifying the entire documentation and billing process, Practice EHR helps more than 1,000 physicians in 23 different specialties deliver care while running a more profitable and efficient practice. Interested in learning more about Practice EHR? Request a Demo by clicking below and a member of our team will contact you.

The urgent care market is booming. There’s a steady increase in demand for convenient healthcare, and as a result, more patients are turning to urgent care clinics (UCCs) for their needs. With an increasing demand for care, it’s important for UCCs to operate efficiently to meet the needs of their patients and stay competitive.

Taking a look at your electronic health record (EHR) is a simple step in understanding how to optimize efficiency in your urgent care clinic. Does your EHR possess a simple and intuitive workflow? Above all, your EHR should support care delivery, not hinder the process. In addition, your EHR can help you uncover inefficiencies within your clinic and how to improve them.

Here are five EHR features every urgent care clinic can leverage to improve efficiency:

Patient Kiosk

A strong check-in process is vital to running a successful urgent care clinic. A patient kiosk is a great tool for urgent care clinics and patients, ensuring efficient and streamlined check-in processes as well as improved patient experience. Instead of filling out paperwork upon arrival, patients can enjoy a self-service check-in system to provide important information, like demographics, family history and more. All of the information collected is integrated into the EHR and readily available for the physician’s review. The kiosk eliminates the need for paper forms and inefficiencies that come with it, improving check-in processes that result in benefits for patients, physicians, and staff.

Electronic ID Scanning

Electronic ID scanning is another great EHR feature that improves the patient check-in process, by capturing insurance and driver's license information quickly and accurately. A patient’s card is placed in the scanner for front and back extraction of information. The collected data is then integrated into the EHR, eliminating the need for multiple data entries and potential errors that impact efficiency in UCCs.

Document Management

An organized EHR is vital to running an urgent care clinic like a well-oiled machine. Your EHR should provide comprehensive document management capabilities to help you keep patient files secure, organized and easily accessible. A good EHR will have a simple document management system designed to make it easy for healthcare providers to find the information they need, at the right time. Unlimited cloud storage, as well as the ability to integrate and extract scans, faxes and other paperwork electronically, will help save your clinic valuable time and money.

E-Prescribing

Given the competitive nature of the urgent care market, it is highly important for the entire patient visit to run as smoothly as possible, including prescribing medications. With electronic prescribing (e-prescribing), physicians can prescribe and send a prescription from within their EHR, maximizing efficiency, security and patient safety. E-prescribing also makes it easier for patients to receive their medications, improving patient experience and medication adherence.

Integrated Billing

An integrated billing system is essential to optimizing your urgent care clinic and your bottom line. A good billing system should: automate administratively and claim management tasks; simplify insurance verification and eligibility checks; allow you to bill directly from your EHR. A billing system including all of these features will promote better billing processes, allowing UCCs to get reimbursed accurately and quickly for the care provided.

Keeping up with the changing healthcare landscape can be a challenge for many healthcare providers. There’s been a lot to tackle in 2017, from regulatory changes to new physician reimbursement systems, and changes like these can make it difficult for independent medical practices to stay afloat. Aside from MACRA, one of the biggest challenges we hear from our customers is the increasingly competitive nature of healthcare.

With increasing patient expectations and demands causing a consumer-driven healthcare environment, it’s time for medical practices to start considering how they can adapt to stay competitive. Our tip: strive to be the modern medical practice— one you and your patients will love. And leverage your EHR to help in this transition. A good EHR should provide great features to help medical practices stay ahead of the curve and be more successful.

What functionality and features should forward-thinking medical practices look for in an EHR? We’ve narrowed it down to three simple categories:

Features that support patient interactions and engagement.

Does the EHR have a patient kiosk that will create a more enjoyable check-in experience? Is there a patient portal that allows patients to conveniently schedule appointments, make payments, access their records, download educational resources and securely message the physician? Features similar to those that improve the overall patient experience are necessary in today’s world. They not only help a practice stand out from the competition but also add conveniences for the patient and the entire care team.

Features that help keep you mobile.

Medical practices who want greater flexibility should consider a cloud-based EHR. With modern features, like cloud accessibility and applications, physicians can securely access their EHR whenever and from wherever they want, using the device they are most comfortable with (i.e. desktop or iPad). Imagine conducting a patient visit virtually, or getting to choose between documenting using free text and clicks or a voice recognition program. Features like Televisit and voice recognition make these convenient scenarios possible.

Features that improve practice productivity and efficiency.

Healthcare is an ever-changing environment and with so much to manage there’s even more reason for medical practices to make sure they run optimally. Your EHR should support that goal. A modern dashboard and a good document management setup that is easy to navigate, allows physicians to find what they need, when they need it, and also improves the amount of time it takes to facilitate care. In addition, medical practices can highly benefit from integrated features like e-prescribing, billing, and reporting. These features support better practice operations all around, such as more timely and accurate reimbursements, improved efficiency, staff communication, and patient experiences.

But Not All EHR Systems Are Created Equal

Some EHR solutions don’t offer these modern features and benefits. Practice EHR comes standard with these features.

Among multiregional electronic health record (EHR) vendors, Epic and Cerner contracts accounted for the most new hospital beds in 2018, according to a new report from KLAS Research.

Last year, more than 180 healthcare organizations outside the U.S. made EHR purchase decisions—impacting 377 hospitals, according to the Utah-based KLAS, which released the report on May 9, a week after it released it’s U.S. hospital EHR market share report. Last week’s U.S.-based findings revealed that for the second year in a row, Cerner signed the highest number of new hospitals, but large private sector hospitals are almost exclusively choosing Epic technology.

The global EHR market share report for 2019 similarly discloses that Epic and Cerner are leading the way in terms of volume of beds contracted in 2018. Epic’s 2018 contracts were some of the largest in scope, accounting for more new beds than any other vendor. The majority of these beds came from a regional decision in Singapore in which Epic was chosen as the go-forward vendor in two of the country’s three integrated healthcare clusters, KLAS reported. In total, Epic signed four new contracts (across three regions), which was one of their lowest totals in recent years.

Cerner, meanwhile, was selected as the go-forward EHR platform by two counties in Sweden that will be migrating to Millennium from a legacy Siemens solution. These decisions represent two of the largest contracts signed in 2018, both in size and technology scope (they include population health management) and are Cerner’s first Millennium deployments in the Nordics. The Millennium platform was not purchased outside of Europe in 2018.

Other multiregional vendors such as Agfa HealthCare, Dedalus, and InterSystems were each selected in eight or more decisions, according to the KLAS findings.

Agfa HealthCare was selected in 10 separate decisions (more than any other multiregional vendor). The “wins” occurred in two regions and include a number of net new large multihospital decisions. Dedalus had the most hospital wins of any multiregional vendor; these wins came mostly through GHTs (territorial hospital groups) in France; additional wins came from other decisions in France, Italy, and Kuwait. InterSystems was third in terms of new contracts, with eight, and saw the most geographic diversity, signing contracts in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania

Calling all Midwest podiatrists! Are you looking for an opportunity to collect your continued education credits and collaborate with fellow podiatrists, while having some fun? Well then, we hope to see you at the Midwest Podiatry Conference (MPC) at the Hyatt Regency Chicago on April 19-22.

We are very excited to support the podiatry profession at MPC18, and have some fun activities planned that we hope you'll join us for. Mark your calendars!

Stop by our booth - First and for most, we'd like to invite you to come by our booth (Booth #1019) to learn more about Practice EHR and what we do. Meet our team and experience our EHR and practice management solution that's designed for podiatry.

Attend our presentation - Our very own, Natasha Patel, Clinical Sales Director will be leading a fun and informative session on the EHR features you can use to better streamline your practice. She'll also give you an inside look at Practice EHR and how those features work in our software. Details: Saturday, April 21 at noon in the exhibit hall theatre.

Hear from one of our clients - This year we're very excited to have one of our clients with us at MPC, who will be leading a presentation session. Dr. Barbara Aung will discuss running a practice from a business state of mind. She'll dive into the numbers of your practice, the cost of treating a patient and how your EHR can help you keep track of your financials. Details: Friday, April 20 at 5pm in Grand AB.

When patients cancel their appointments at the last minute or don’t show up at all, it leads to lost revenue and a strain on your staff. Patient no shows are costly, and understandably frustrating for medical practices. However, there are a few steps practices can take to help minimize patient no shows.

Read five tips designed to help your practice reduce patient no shows:

Establish a policy. Rule number one when it comes to patient scheduling: have a policy in place. This sounds like an obvious solution, but some practices do not take this important first step until after no shows become a problem. Patients are less likely to skip out on an appointment when they know you have a no-show policy. A small fee can help motivate patients to stick to their appointments.

Offer online scheduling. Offering patients the option to schedule online has become increasingly important for practices. Not only does online scheduling help automate scheduling processes, but your patients are also more likely to keep their appointments. With online scheduling, patients have more control over selecting an appointment time that fits their schedule. A person may also be more likely to reschedule their appointment in advance, instead of canceling last minute.

Send patient reminders. Keep in mind, some patients don’t show up for an appointment simply because they forgot they had one. As a result, practices should have strategies in place to help remind patients about their appointments. In fact, phone call, email and text reminders have shown to reduce no-shows according to a study by MGMA. Consider how your EHR can support you with this effort as well. With the help of technology and the right EHR, practices should be able to automate appointment reminders without adding a ton of work.

Try telemedicine. Offering options for care delivery that fit the patient’s lifestyle is important for medical practices. Today, many patients don’t want to sit in a waiting room for a long period of time. Traffic, work and long wait times are all reasons patients cancel an appointment. By incorporating Telemedicine in your practice, you can offer patients a more convenient alternative for care and help them stay committed to their appointment slot.

Don’t make patients wait. It’s important for your practice to make sure your front desk processes are running efficiently so that you can see patients on time. One bad experience can play a role in whether or not you see a patient again. If patients routinely have to wait long past their scheduled appointment time, they are more likely to cancel on short notice or miss an appointment without any advance notification. Work with your front desk and make sure the right technology is in place to help you reduce patient wait times.

No-shows are inevitably going to happen but with the right processes in place they can be managed to have less of an impact. Consider your current scheduling processes and how they can be improved. Consider if it’s time to upgrade to a more automated process with the help of EHR technology. There are solutions out there that can help with your scheduling processes and actually minimize the front-desk workload.

Implementing an Electronic Health Records system does not in and of itself guarantee a boost in productivity or revenue. However, it would be reasonable to assume that these will happen as a result of putting in the effort to learn how to best use an EHR. We would like to reveal 5 secret ways you can use an electronic health record system (EHR) to boost the output of your practice.

Secret Ways for Physicians to Use Your EHR More Efficiently

Use Medical Voice Assistant

If you are sick and tired of the effort required to complete the documentation aspect of your EHR, then it might be time to start using an intelligent medical-based voice assistant to do it for you. There are many AI-based medical dictation and clinical documentation software options out there that seamlessly integrate with and enable your voice commands to operate your electronic health record software. That said, talkEHR is the only electronic health record software available on the market that comes with an interactive voice assistant named Alison. This next generation technology empowers you to naturally interact with your EHR. You can use voice commands to enable features instantly, and it can also type for you.

Shortcuts Save Time

Just like you would save your favorite websites on a browser like IE or Chrome, we recommend that you think through the most useful features of your electronic health records software and then assign them shortcut keys so you can reach them with a single click. Generally speaking, there are a variety of other customization and shortcut options available with regard to setting up your dashboard or tabs as well. Investing the time upfront to customize such elements will ultimately save you time in the long run, thereby making it more manageable to run your practice.

Consider Useful Add-ons

Contact your EHR vendor to find out which add-ons are available. For instance, “Smart Pen” is an input device add-on that you use like an ordinary pen to put data into your EHR. These kinds of add-ons will improve the workflow of your practice and are worth your time and investment.

Explore your EHR

Electronic health record software is a complex system that is equipped with a range of features that you may or may not be aware of. Many features are built to reduce the hassle of practice management, but as is usually the case with new tools, you need to first know about them before you can explore them. So, we would suggest you fully explore your EHR and make note of the best ones available. You can also schedule a technical meeting with your vendor’s support team to fully understand the capacity of your electronic health record software.

Stay Updated

EHR suppliers frequently update the advanced features and bug fixes. We suggest that you ensure your practice is fully aware of this fact and stays updated with all the ongoing improvements that vendor makes to the system. This way, you can utilize your electronic health record software in the best possible way. Using your EHR more efficiently will save time so your practice can see and treat more patients, thereby increasing revenue. And don’t forget, if you have suggestions for your vendor, don’t hesitate to offer them feedback so they can improve their system to meet your expectations and needs.

Electronic Health Records (EHR) Software has gained considerable attention from practices worldwide due to its innumerable advantages. EHR’s are built to provide an organized, accurate, and cost-effective documentation process. Using one saves time and reduces paper work drastically, thereby enhancing productivity. But, finding the EHR system that best suits your practice and also installing it correctly are two major challenges that you are likely to face before reaping the real benefits of an EHR. So, before you go further with your EHR planning, let’s first have a look at some important pointers to keep in mind while looking for the best EHR vendor.

There are so many EHR vendors waiting for a chance to gain your business. They all offer attractive service packages and discounts to make their product seem the most attractive. But, they can’t all be the best in actuality, so it’s important that you consider some critical questions. These questions will equip you with sufficient information about the vendor and will help you make an informed decision. Below are the primary items we’d recommend you think through before going forward:

Tips for Choosing the Right EHR Vendors for your Practice

Compatibility and Reliability

If you are used to evaluating vendors on a regular basis, then you would be aware of the requisites of the vendor selection process. But for those not accustomed to this, the first step is to determine that the EHR system in question is compatible with your company’s infrastructure. For that, a trusted and reliable vendor should be chosen who has a solid history, including an impeccable service record. Customer reviews say a lot about a product or a service and are worth looking into.

Meaningful Use (MU) Criteria

There are certain criteria that’ll help you shortlist a vendor. The EHR incentive program has set the meaningful use criteria specifically for the EHR systems, so look to this as a priority. It is a common feature found in EHR systems, but the latest one is the MU3 category. We would recommend that you make sure your new one has this.

Aligned Core Values

You want an EHR system made specifically for the management of healthcare-related information and organized for proper documentation. But, it should also align with the needs and values of your practice (a.k.a. customization options). The vendor should be willing to design a unique service package that suits your core operations, too.

Impressive User Experience

Although this is not the number one priority list, it’s still important to keep in mind when picking the right EHR system. A system with a confusing workflow that isn’t intuitive won’t work. Ignoring this would be a mistake. Make sure you and some team members of your practice try it first to confirm whether it’s the right fit from a usability perspective.

These are some of the key characteristics to think through. Before stepping into the market, do some homework and shortlist all the potential EHR vendors that seem to carry potential. Then, conduct some research on each one of them to narrow down your list. These steps will save you time while guaranteeing, to a great extent, the trustworthiness of your vendor and effectiveness of your decision.

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